Inking mechanism for printing presses



Aug. 11, 1942. KLUGE 2,292,448

INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 22, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Eze val Kluge Aug.l1,1942. KLUGE 2,292,448

INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 22, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- I'zzeua Z K/u 9e Patented Aug. 11, 1942 1 INKING MECHANISM FOB. PRINTING PRESSES Eneval Kluge, St. Paul, Minn; assignor to Brandtjen & Kluge, Inc., St Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application August 22, 1941, Serial No. 407,915

Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in inking mechanisms for printing presses, particularly inking mechanisms for platen presses of the Gordon type and of the nature disclosed in Patent No. 1,980,968 of November 13, 1934, which matured from an application filed by Abel Kluge and myself.

In inking mechanisms of the nature disclosed in said patent, the inking disk is axially shiftable and has means associated therewith for manually causing the lowering of the same from and the return thereof to inking position, an object of the present invention being to pro- Vide in such amechanism improved manually operated disk-shifting means of simple, durable and relatively inexpensive construction through which the inking disk is readily raised into inking position and lowered into non-inking position and retained by gravity in each of said positions against unintentional dislodgement therefrom.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination'and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating a portion of the bed of a platen printing press of the Gordon type, together with an inking disk, inking rollers and other related parts carried by said bed; Fig.2 is an elevational view in detail of the supporting frame for the inking disk and associated means for turning, elevating and lowering the same; Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the movable parts in different relative positions; and Fig. 4 is a perspective View illustrating in detail the manually operated element through which the inking disk is lowered and raised.

Reference being had to the drawings, wherein similar parts throughout the several views are designated by similar reference characters, the press parts ill, I. I will be recognized as bed and inking disk, respectively, .of a platen printing press of the Gordontype, said bed having the usual rearwardly extending ears 12 in which the customary back shaft 13 is rockably mounted. A roller frame side member I 4 of usual design is rockably mounted on the back shaft [3 and is equipped with spring retracted rods [5 carrying saddles IS in which composition form rollers H are mounted, said rollers I! having the usual truck rolls (not shown) which ride bearers l8 and bearer extensions It.

The inking disk ll isrotatecl and suppliedwith ink substantially as disclosed in said Patent No. 1,980,968, a yoke-frame A in which said disk ll revolves and. which carries an inking fountain being provided. Said yoke-frame A consists of a head member 2|, legs 22 and feet 23, the latter being secured to the ears I2 of the bed [0. Formed integrally with said head member 2i is a bearing 24 in which a journal 25, formed axially of the disk H, is slidably and revolubly received. Extending rearwardly from the head member 21 of the yoke-frame A are brackets 26 to the end of which the fountain 2|) is bolted. Said journal 25 of said inking disk II has a worm wheel 21 keyed thereto and held in place thereon by means of ,a lock nut 28 fitted on a headed adjusting screw 29 threaded into said journal axially thereof; Meshing with said worm wheel 21 is a driving worm 30, the same being keyed to a worm shaft 35 journaled in lugs 32 depending from the head member 2| of the-yoke-frame A. This worm shaft 3| is rotated by suitable means to turn the inking disk i I step-by-step at times when said form rollers I1 and ink distributing rollers 33 are clear thereof. These ink distributing rollers 33 have truck rolls (not shown) which ride the bearer extensions l9 and are mounted in spring retracted saddles 34 carried at the ends of'oscillating arms 35 mounted on a crossshaft 35 journaled in bearings 31 secured to the ears -I2 of the bed In, said arms 35 being oscillated through a rocker arm 38 and a coacting cam 39 secured to a tie bar 40 connecting the one roller frame side member I 4 with its companion member. Said ink distributing rollers 33 pass forth and back between the two positions illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, said rollers picking .up' ink rfrom roll 4| of the fountain 20 in the position shown in Fig, 1, and distributing such ink to the upper portion of theelevated disk .I I in their travel thereover.

y'I'he manually operated element (Fig. 4) for effecting the raising and lowering of the inking disk ll comprises a crank member B with which a cam C is associated. Said crank member 13 consists of a sleeve 42, an arm 43 branching therefrom, and a handle 44 on said arm. The sleeve 42 is rockably mounted on a shaft 45 secured at its ends to the brackets 26 of the yokeframe A, the axis of said shaft 45 being intersected -by the axis of the inking disk II. The cam Cincludes a leg 46 branching from the sleeve 42 and further includes active and inactive cam portions 41, 48 providing a footing for the head 49 of the adjusting screw 29 which screw constitutes a cam follower for the inking disk H,

The inactive cam portion 48 has a cylindrical surface 50 centered on the axis of the shaft 45 and the active cam portion 41 has a planiform surface 5| inclined inwardly from said cylindrical surface 59. The sleeve 42 of the crank member B is held on shaft 45 against endwise movement in one direction by one of the brackets 26 of the yoke-frame A and against endwise movement in the opposite direction by means of a collar 42 secured to said shaft 45. The arm 43 of said crank member B is disposed and moves along the inner face of one of the legs 22 of the yokeframe A and the handle 44 on said arm extends outwardly beyond such leg 22 where it is readily accessible near the lower portion of the inking disk H at the one side thereof. An angular protuberance 5| formed on the arm43 overreaches the front edge of said leg 22 and provides two stops, one an upper stop 52 adapted to engage said edge of said leg at its upper portion and the other a lower stop 53 adapted to engage said edge of said leg at the lower portion thereof. The throw of the handle 43 being constrained by the stops 52, 53, the upward throw thereof is limited to a fixed upper or elevated position and the downward throw thereof is limited to a fixed lower or depressed position. In the depressed position of the handle 43 (Fig. 1) with the lower limit stop 53 engaging the leg 22 of the yoke-frame A, the cylindrical surface 50 of the cam portion 48 of cam C is positioned beneath the head 49 of the adjusting screw 29 of the inking disk H and said disk is thus held by said cam C in elevated position, wherein it may be contacted by the form rollers I1 and distributing rollers 33 traveling thereover. Said cylindrical surface 59 of said cam portion 48 being centered on the axis of the shaft 45 upon which the sleeve 42 turns, there is no tendency of said sleeve to turn on said shaft under the weight of the inking disk I l and any tendency of said sleeve 42 otherwise to turn under usual operating conditions is effectively countered by the arm 43 which, by its own weight and that of the handle 44 and stops 52, 53 thereon is caused to remain in its depressed position, When the arm 43 is stationed in its elevated position (Fig. 3), the inclined planiform surface 5| of the cam portion 41 of cam C is presented beneath the head 49 of the adjusting screw 29 of the inking disk H and the upper stop 52 on the arm 43 is brought into engagement with the leg 22 of the yokeframe A. Said adjusting screw 29, under the weight of the inking disk II, follows from said cylindrical cam surface 59 to and along said inclined cam surface 5| as said arm 43 is swun upward with the resultant lowering of said inking disk ll. Said arm 43 tends to swing downward by gravity from its elevated position which movement of said arm, as before indicated, would bring the cylindrical cam surface 50 beneath the adjusting screw 29 of the inking disk ll. However, such tendency of said arm 43 to swing downward by its own weight is overcome by the weight of the inking disk H bearing upon the inclined cam surface 5|, the result being that the cooperation of the disk adjusting screw 29 and cam portion 41, under the weight of the depressed inking disk I I, prevents the gravitational descent of the arm 43 and removably holds said arm elevated with its upper stop 52 engaging the leg 22 of the yoke-frame A. In such depressed position of said inking disk II, the face thereof is removed from the inking plane of the form rollers I] and distributing rollers 33, contact between the inking disk II and said rollers being thereby broken.

Whether the press is in operation or idle, the operator can conveniently reach the handle 44 of the crank member B and easily swing the arm 43 either upwardly or downwardly to its upper or lower limit. Upon swinging said arm 43 downwardly, its own weight assists in elevating the inking disk II and, after said disk is elevated, serves to keep it elevated by holding the cylindrical cam surface 59 of cam portion 48 beneath the disk screw 29. Upon swinging the arm 43 upwardly to the upper limit thereof, the inking disk H descends by gravity. The disk screw 29 follows the cylindrical cam surface 59 to and along the inwardly inclined cam surface 5| and cooperating with said latter surface, under the weight of said disk ll, holds said arm 43 at said upper limit thereof against its tendency to swing downward by gravity.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that my improved construction, though exceedingly simple, is reliable and effective in operation and wholly unattended with latching devices or similar expedients to demand attention or to get out of order.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In inking mechanism for a printing press having a frame, an inking disk provided with an axial follower and axially movable upwardly into an elevated inking position and downwardly into a depressed non-inking position, means for supporting the disk, through said follower, in each of said positions of said disk and for elevating the same from said latter to said former position, said means comprising a shaft carried by said frame beneath and axially intersected by the axis of said disk, a crank member consisting of a sleeve mounted on said shaft and an arm branching outwardly from said sleeve to rock the same about the axis of said shaft, said arm being swingable to given upper and lower positions, a cam carried by said sleeve and rocked thereby, said cam having an active portion and an inactive portion upon which said follower bears, the inactive portion having a cylindrical cam surface centered upon the axis of said shaft and the active portion having a cam surface inclined inwardly from said cylindrical cam surface and serving to raise the disk into its said elevated position, said cylindrical cam surface serving to support said disk in said elevated position, said arm, by its own weight in its said lower position, maintaining said cam disposed with said cylindrical cam surface beneath said follower and supporting said disk in its said elevated position, said inwardly inclined cam surface serving further to admit of the descent of said disk and to support the same in said depressed position, said disk acting through said inwardly inclined cam surface and by its own weight in its said depressed position to maintain said arm in said upper position thereof.

2. In inking mechanism for a printing press having an inking disk provided with an axial follower and axially movable upwardly into an elevated inking position and downwardly into a depressed non-inking position, means for supporting the disk, through said follower, in each of said positions of said disk and for elevating the same from said latter to said former position, said means comprising an arm swingable up and down, limit means stopping the upward throw of said arm at a given upper position thereof and stopping the downward throw of said arm at a given lower position thereof, a cam rocked by said arm and cooperating with said follower, said cam having a cylindrical inactive portion centered upon the axis of said cam and having an active portion extending inwardly from said inactive portion, said active portion of said cam serving to raise the disk into its elevated position and said inactive portion of said cam serving to support said disk in said elevated position, said arm, by its own weight in said lower position thereof, maintaining said cam disposed with the inactive portion thereof in cooperation with said follower and supporting said disk in its said elevated position, the active portion of said cam further cooperating with said follower to admit of the descent of said disk and to support it in said depressed position, said disk acting through said active portion of said cam and by its own weight in its said depressed position to maintain said arm in said upper postion thereof.

3. In inking mechanism for a printing press having a frame, an inking disk provided with an axial follower and axially movable upwardly into an elevated inking position and downwardly into a depressed non-inking position, means for supporting the disk, through said follower, in each of said positions of said disk and for elevating the same from said latter to said former position, said means comprising an arm pivotally mounted on said frame and swingable up and down, stop means on said arm engageable with said frame for arresting the upward throw of said arm at a certain upper position thereof and for arresting the downward throw of said arm at a certain lower position thereof, a cam mounted on said frame and rocked by said arm, said cam having an active portion and an inactive portion upon which said follower bears, the inactive portion having a cylindrical cam surface centered upon the axis of said cam and the active portion having a cam surface extending inwardly from said cylindrical cam surface and serving to raise the disk into its said elevated position, said cylindrical cam surface serving to support said disk in said elevated position, said arm, by its own weight in its said lower position, maintaining said cam disposed with said cylindrical cam surface beneath said follower and supporting said disk in its said elevated position, said inwardly extending cam surface serving further to admit of the descent of said disk and to support the same in said depressed position, said disk acting through said inwardly inclined cam surface and by its own Weight in its said depressed position to maintain said arm in said upper position thereof.

4. In inking mechanism for a printing press having an inking disk provided with an axial follower and axially movable upwardly into an elevated inking position and downwardly into a depressed non-inking position, means for supporting the disk, through said follower, in each of said positions of said disk and for elevating the same from said latter to said former position, said means comprising an arm swingable to given upper and lower positions, a cam rocked by said arm, said cam having an active portion and an inactive portion upon which said follower bears, the inactive portion having a cylindrical cam surface centered upon the axis of said cam and the active portion having a cam surface extending inwardly from said cylindrical cam surface and serving to raise the disk into its said elevated position, said cylindrical cam surface serving to support said disk in said elevated position, said arm, by its own weight in its said lower position, maintaining said cam disposed with said cylindrical cam surface beneath said follower and supporting said disk in its said elevated position, said inwardly extending cam surface serving further to admit of the descent of said disk and to support the same in said depressed position, said disk acting through said inwardly inclined cam surface and by its own weight in its said depressed position to maintain said arm in said upper position thereof.

5. In inking mechanism for a printing press having an inking disk provided with an axial follower and axially movable upwardly into an elevated inking position and downwardly into a depressed non-inking position, means for supporting the disk, through said follower, in each of said positions of said disk and for elevating the same from said latter to said former position, said means comprising an arm swingable up and down to given upper and lower positions, a cam connected with and moved to and fro by said arm, said cam cooperating with said follower to raise the disk and support the same in its elevated position, said arm, by its own weight in its said lower position, maintaining said cam disposed to support said disk in its said elevated position, said cam further cooperating with said follower to admit of the descent of said disk by gravity and to support the same in said depressed position, said cam under the weight of said disk in its said depressed position maintaining said arm in said upper position thereof.

ENEVAL KLUGE. 

